I do have a pail of the tire mounting paste and even have a small plastic box for my on-board tool kit with the paste, but I did not use it on the front tire to make it easier to dismount the tire next time. On aluminum rims soap water can lead to corrosion due to soap containing lye, an acid. With tubeless tires, this corrosion can lead to air leaks. Not a problem with tubed tires. I'm too theoretical, a total nut! Ha Ha! :-) You are absolutely correct, a lubricant makes the job much easier! Thanks and Have a Good & Safe Ride!

@@orbsurfer8195 Also a theoretical thinker, I have used a small amount of dishwashing liquid diluted in distilled or tap water for tire dismounting and mounting for the last 50 years with no visible corrosion damage on aluminum (off-road bikes) or chromed steel rims (play bikes). Liquid dish soap is basically a cationic surfactant and contains no lye. It does dry out quickly and seems to help “glue” tire bead to rim better to help avoid tire spinning on rim at lower tire pressures (10-12 psig). I keep a small 2 oz bottle in tool kit on bike or back pack and a 12 oz squeeze bottle with nozzle in the shop. Great review and your attention to detail is appreciated. Keep twisting that throttle!

@@pmaly9473 Thanks! Good to know!

I have used the spoon side against the bead of the tire/edge of the rim with the Motion Pro tool, but the jagged end on the opposite end makes it hard to push against this tool compared to the rounded edge of the blue handle tire spoons. A typical comment regarding the front axle on the Yamaha Ténéré 700 is that it is fastened too tight from the dealership. (on too many vehicles returned to me from dealers after service, parts have either not been fastened or fastened at twice the torque specs...) You should be able to loosen the front axle with the Rallye Raid (RR) tool. The RR tool is 1/2 ft long > that equals 106 lbs of force necessary to loosen/tighten the front axle (53 ft-lb). Always remember to loosen the pinch bolts first before loosening/fastening the front axle. :-) Thanks and Have a Good & Safe Ride!

What size tubes did you order for front and rear? Would love a link if convenient. Your T700 maintenance videos are some of the best on KZfaq. Keep up the good work!

Removing the valve core is not necessary - it just lets the tire deflate more quickly. Probably better to let the valve core stay in place - less chance of loosing the core! 🙂

Are you telling me that a large bucket is not part of your on-board tool kit? :-) I have been meaning to source a small tarp, 4' x 4' or so, a little sturdier than what you can pick up at the local hardware store, and add that including a bag to keep the tarp in when it gets muddy, to my tool kit. But I have been procrastinating! Thanks for the reminder! Have a Good & Safe Ride!

Yes, the threads on the axle is mated to the threads in the fork leg.

I will try to make one! :-)

@@orbsurfer8195 10-4 Many thanks)

Just tighten by feel - try on some spare bolts at home with the onboard toolkit and check with a torque wrench. Small bolts does not require much torque and torque numbers are always on clean threads! Corrosion and dirt gives a resistance. Using blue thread lock is a good practice on vibrating motorcycles too! I need to slim down my toolkit and make it lighter and go back to basics. I rode for years and years doing maintenance on the road with much simpler tools than I have today. I have gone to far the other way now! 🙂

Bikes that go off road get flats more often. It's very difficult to plug and inflate a tubeless tire from zero out in the wild. This is much easier to swap out and continue on.

That's why I sold my loved honda transalp cos was hard to change a tube on the road on my own.. to fix puncture with plug 10 min job.. That's why new Africa twin goes tubeless??

@@TheQQRYQ80 only the higher spec models. Base model is still tubed.

More expensive on spoked wheels is the reason why not.